Photo By Sgt. Carson Gramley | U.S. Marine non-commissioned officers from 7th Engineer Support Battalion enter their...... read more read more
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One of the many rank and grade specific traditions regularly practiced by NCOs is dedicating a space set aside exclusively for NCOs where they can share knowledge and lessons learned. Mess halls, living quarters and NCO clubs have all customarily had these spaces.
On April 15, 2016, 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, opened Chapultepec’s Lounge in one of the unit’s barracks buildings to provide their NCOs a space to develop themselves and the Marines around them.
The lounge was once just an ordinary room before being transformed by the Marines of 7th ESB. Inside, there’s a pool table, televisions, a bar and more. The wall has been painted to resemble the NCO blood stripe, and the room is decorated with posters and memorabilia reminiscent of legendary Marines and events. Even the name is inspired by the revered scarlet stripe.
Engineers, carpenters and other Marines in the battalion dedicated hours of work to renovate the area.
The 7th ESB command decided on the lounge in hopes that NCOs could use it as a place to come together and improve their leadership skills and aspire to become better and morally stronger corporals and sergeants.
“I’m already seeing more ownership of their Marines’ actions,” said Sgt. Maj. Charles Weeks, 7th ESB sergeant major. “They’re pushing their Marines and taking pride in their accomplishments. We want them to know this is a tradition thing, a respect thing, and something they should strive for.”
Weeks described how having a place of their own will make a difference in the way his NCOs learn how to handle the leadership situations they might encounter. Their peer group has changed and they need to maintain peer-to-peer accountability.
“One message I’ve stressed to the NCOs is that no one has to ‘give’ them any power or responsibility, they earned that when they got promoted,” explained Weeks. “I’ve reinforced this because I don’t think a lot of NCOs realize how much power they do have … and our message to them is that they have the power and need to take advantage of it.”
The sergeant major explained that he’d like to see more NCOs better serving their junior Marines, inspecting their uniforms, checking their rooms and ensuring their professional military education requirements are complete so that they can be promotable.
Weeks described a conversation he had with Sgt. Maj. Black, the 1st MLG sergeant major, about how to develop better Marines at the MLG, and they agreed that a large factor is the focus of leaders.
“MLG is a busy unit; we support a MEF, there are a lot of different [military occupational specialties] and jobs, and it’s really easy to say we’re too busy to do certain things,” said Weeks. “You have to find time to focus on being a Marine; our history, customs and courtesies is what makes people want to be Marines in the first place so we have to focus on that.”
Leadership across 1st MLG has been shifting their focus to this as a whole across the unit with things like Chapultepec’s Lounge and the 101 days of summer campaign. The intent is to create a more cohesive unit by encouraging initiative, pride, accountability and safety among its small unit leaders.
“I want to see, across the board, well-rounded and proficient Marines, not just workers,” said Weeks. “Across the MLG you have 70 different MOSs but the chevron doesn’t change. I expect one sergeant to know the same as another. You have to put in the effort to learn how to counsel and mentor Marines.”
So far it’s been working, says Weeks, and he’s seen the NCOs begin to challenge their Marines more, leading to a dip in negative incidents across the unit.
Like almost every unit in the Marine Corps, 7th ESB has their own traditions and claims to fame, Weeks has hopes this room will have the same effect one day.
| Date Taken: | 07.12.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 07.12.2016 20:03 |
| Story ID: | 203781 |
| Location: | CAMP PENDLETON, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 104 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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